Horvat will be a key cog to Canucks dominating the Blues
Green warns against reading too much into defenceman’s infractions in qualifying round
Travis Green came to the defence of his defence Tuesday.
Not the entire back end. Just Tyler Myers.
The Vancouver Canucks coach suggests not to read too much into the nine minor penalties the blue-liner was assessed in a four-game qualifying series victory over the Minnesota Wild.
He believes some of the calls were warranted and some weren’t as everyone attempts to understand the standard of post-season officiating.
Green also knows it’s a slippery slope for the towering six-foot-eight Myers.
He has to aggressively battle in the corners and box out down low and those demands will be even more critical against the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in the best-of-seven, first-round NHL playoff series that opens Wednesday night at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
He can’t be taking holding, interference and high-sticking infractions.
During the regular season, Myers was second in team penalty minutes with 49 in 68 games. And in 43 career playoff games with the Winnipeg Jets and Buffalo Sabres, he compiled 34 minutes in 39 games.
He should have a good feel for what he can and can’t get away with in the post-season.
“I’ve talked to Myers a few times,” Green said Tuesday.
“He’s not a guy who is known for taking a ton of minor penalties. He’s a big guy and we’re asking our team to ramp up the compete level.
“I watched all his penalties and it’s hard for the refs — it’s not easy.
“Do I think he should have nine minors right now? No, I don’t. Do I think he’s playing a big man’s game and being physical around our net? I do.
“It’s a fine line, but I also think there have been a couple of calls that if the refs got to see them again, they might call them back. But you can say that about a lot of calls. It’s hard to ref with how fast the game is.
“But he (Myers) knows he has to find a way to stay out of the box.
“He can’t keep taking that many, but I don’t want him not playing physical. He has to play big in front of our net and I think he has been unlucky with a couple of calls.”
MILLER THE MOTIVATOR
J.T. Miller is loud and proud. This is not breaking news.
The winger not only led the Canucks in scoring with a career 72-point season, he led by example in the room, on the ice and on the bench as a mentor and motivator. His leadership role reached new heights Friday when he was asked by Green to announce the starting lineup for Game 4 against Minnesota. Miller was amped up as he pumped up the starters and rest of the club.
“It’s not an every-game thing, that’s for sure,” said Miller. “I’ve never really done one that big before, but I felt like the time was right. In New York, we had a lot of creativity with the lineup reads. I didn’t want to steal anything from the vets when I played there because there was some pretty cool stuff. And even in Tampa, too, a lot of yelling.
“I just tried to bring a little
energy to the game and it was the first time for this group to have an elimination game and it was a good time for it. You obviously get caught up in the moment.”
OVERTIME — Tyler Toffoli, who suffered a foot injury in the first qualifying round game, is still unfit to play and hasn’t skated. There was also no assessment update on the
injury that sidelined Micheal Ferland in the second game. He left the tournament bubble for further evaluation. Oscar Fantenberg, who didn’t play Sunday and was replaced by Olli Juolevi, practised Tuesday. Green said: “He looks pretty good and we’ll see how he looks tomorrow (Wednesday).”